Day 1 — Peace from Heaven

Philippians 4 

“4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

 It can be hard even on a normal day to not let worry and anxiety dominate our thoughts, our mood, our perspective. In this season, with addictive non-stop news of the virus and its progression, it is especially important to discipline ourselves to stay focused on who God is, what he has done in Jesus, and his great long term purposes for the world.

 Paul in Philippians doesn’t just invite us to lift our eyes to God, but commands us to. “Rejoice in the Lord”. He feels it’s so important that he repeats it, “I will say it again: Rejoice!”.

 Why is praising God and thanking him for who he is so important? Because it’s the key to open the treasure box of God’s peace.

 God’s peace is a gift that “transcends” all our ‘worse case scenarios’ or fears. It comes from God’s realm into ours. This ‘peace’ is not powerless but powerful. It will work away inside you “guarding your heart and mind” from any other voices or new information that comes your way today.

This kind of peace is far bigger and better than the ‘peace’ offered by the world because it is a peace that carries the heartbeat of the Father. It is the peace Jesus had in the storm. It is the peace that the Spirit gave Stephen as the stones reigned down. It is a power, a treasure, a display of who God is that we can carry and share with others.

But it starts with the discipline of thanksgiving.  

What can you be thankful for today?
How can you be a ‘peace’ carrier to others in this time?

Dr Nick Drake
Associate Pastor